1 comments about Aqualog: All Rainbows and Related Families.

1. All of the Aqualog books are excellent value, although they are not particularly cheap. They are full to the brim with first class colour photographs and to reproduce these in a book is an expensive process. Whether they are about many of the different beautiful fishes now coming into the aquarist trade or in this case specifically the Rainbow species of fishes many of which are among the most beautiful fishes. They are first class for identifying that fish that you have had for some time, but have not been able to put a name to.
   
   This is a really beautiful book with some stunning photographs and for anyone interested in Rainbows in particular and fish-keeping in general it is a book to be treasured.

No comments about Goldfish Varieties and Genetics: Handbook for Breeders.

3 comments about The Pocket Idiot's Guide to Freshwater Aquariums.

1. Mike Wickham does a wonderful job explaining freshwater fish in this book. He fills it with humor to keep you reading. I really learned a lot from this book and I didn't feel like an idiot when I started to get my fish and supplies.



2. I read this book a few weeks ago and must say that it's very good. I used to be in the aquarium hobby when I was younger, but I forgot almost everything that I had known back then. This book not only restores some of the knowledge that I forgot, but it also adds to what I didn't even know in the past. This little book is very concise and informative. Mike Wickham has done a great job of writing it. Some of the topics that he discusses are what type of tank to get, choosing a filter system, heating and lighting, which fish to pick out, basic water chemistry, plant selection, foods, and disease. Learning about the nitrogen cycle for the first time was also a big help. There are some other cool things about this book, too. The writer includes in the appendix some sample shopping lists so you'll know just what you need when starting out. The lists consist of equipment, fish, and plants for different tank gallonages. This guide also includes a routine maintenance checklist and a section on myths, mysteries, and misinformation. The Pocket Idiot's Guide to Freshwater Aquariums is very thorough, fun to read, and helpful. I'm glad that I have it in my reference collection. I find it to be very good and recommend it.



3. I found this book very useful as a tool for getting back into tropical aquariums after a long hiatus. It doesn't go into much depth on the various filtration methods. The author admits that this topic is fairly lengthy. Other than that, the book covers all other freshwater aquaria topics very well. The author gives tons of useful shortcuts to simplify aquarium setup.

4 comments about The Ocean At Home: An Illustrated History of the Aquarium.

1. The origin of the aquarium, what a topic! This informative, entertaining and sometimes poetic text tells the whole story and is a joy to read. How it was invented in England and how the idea traveled to Germany and to the United States. By the way, a handsome book in unusual size, profusely illustrated. Where the hell did the author find all these cute illustrations of aquariums and stuff related to it?



2. ...but not real good either. Definitely not worth the full price. Short, light on details, and definitely euro-centric. It's not a bad little read, but don't expect a deep examination of aquarium history. Also, the physical construction of the book is curious...it's tall, thin and tightly bound, making it difficult to hold comfortably. The print isn't the darkest or the most legible, and most of the illustrations (which are the best part of the book) are small, although clearly reproduced. This would have made a perfect library book.



3. Excellent historial review of the origins of aquariums, public and private.



4. The Ocean at Home is a wonderful book that outlines the early history of the private and public aquariums. When I entered this hobby back in the mid 90's I had no idea that the origin of the aquarium had such a full history. The history of our hobby is one subject that seems to get overlooked in many of our aquatic publications to date. This book walks the reader thru the progression from keeping plants and snails in small jars to the appearance of the first public aquariums. In reading this book you become familiar with the 150+ years of development and discovery for the modern aquarium.
   
   There are so many illustrations in the book nearly every page has at least one illustration on it helping depict the aquarium or equipment of the given era. With the aid of the illustrations the reader has to wonder what aquariums 100 or even 150 years ago would have looked like. How where they heated? How was the water filtered? What a wondrous site it must have been to the children and adults of the 19th century to be able to observe the creatures from the deep as the book describes.
   
   I highly recommend this book to any aquarist that wishes to discover more about the origins of the modern aquarium as well as some of the early challenges that 19th century aquarists faced.

2 comments about Dwarf Cichlids: Keeping & Breeding Them in Captivity.

1. I was very disappointed by this book. Vague and woolly. It didn't address the specifics needs for breeding Apistogrammas for example. Great pictures, but you can get great pictures free on the net. The quality of the photography is first rate and if you want a book just for browsing occasionally then its fine.



2. This book is beautiful. It has many wonderful pictures of the many varieties of dwarf cichlids, both New World and African. However, the lack of content makes it not very valuble for the advanced aquarian. It tells very little about the habitats needed by the different types of dwarf cichlids. It does not tell what tank size each type of cichlid needs, nor does it address the Ph and hardness needed by the various cichlids. The pictures, while clearly labeled, are not with the descriptions of the dwarf cichlids they show. While you can use this book to find pictures of dwarf cichlids that you may be interested in, you will have to go elsewhere to learn how to keep them in their optimal enviroment.

No comments about Digest for the Successful Terrarium.

No comments about A Practical Guide to Setting Up Your Coldwater Aquarium: How to Create a Beautiful And Successful Environment for Your Fish (Tankmaster S.).

1 comments about Fascinating Koi (AQUALOG Special).

1. All of the Aqualog books are excellent value, although they are not particularly cheap. They are full to the brim with first class colour photographs and to reproduce these in a book is an expensive process. Whether they are about many of the different beautiful fishes now coming into the aquarist trade or in this case specifically the Koi carp species of fishes many of which are among the most beautiful fishes. They are first class for identifying that fish that you have had for some time, but have not been able to put a name to.
   
   This is a really beautiful book with some stunning photographs and for anyone interested in Koi carp in particular and fish-keeping in general it is a book to be treasured.

1 comments about Dwarf Rabbits As a New Pet (As a New Pet Series).

1. As a twelve-year-old first time Dwarf Rabbit owner, I read this book countless times and reveled in the vivid color photography. Almost every color of rabbit imaginable is pictured within these pages, and almost every breed is described in a paragraph of its own. Of course, at only 64 pages, this is hardly the exhaustive guide to owning a dwarf rabbit; it's not the book you want if you're going to get serious about showing and breeding (though there is a chapter on breeding toward the end of the book). The contents also include chapters on "Considerations before Buying," "Selection," "Acclimation," "Feeding, "Care," "Behavior," and "Health," among other topics. Overall, this is the perfect book to guide an amateur bunny keeper of any age who wants the basics (and some nice pictures).

1 comments about Aqualog Extra: Discus--The Champions.

1. January 20, 2007
   Aqualog African CichlidsIII (Erwin Schrami)
   Unbeatable Fish-keeping Books
   
   
   All of the Aqualog books are excellent value, although they are not particularly cheap. They are full to the brim with first class colour photographs and to reproduce these in a book is an expensive process. Whether they are about African Cichlids or some other species of fish they are the most comprehensive identification books you can buy. They never become dated because as new fish become available to the aquarist trade the books are updated.
   
   They do not deal with the basics of fish keeping, there are many and varied books that do that. They are in the main a fish identification encyclopaedia and nothing more. But for those aquarists who are particularly interested in a single species they are indispensable.